Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Is the person on the rooftop Dugu Bo?

Of course not. With Chen Ming's current strength, there's no need to keep Dugu Bo by his side at all times. After all, given his abilities, Dugu Bo might just become a vulnerable weak spot that others could exploit.

The person on the rooftop is naturally Chen Ming. However, he is wearing a black robe and using special means to conceal his face and aura. Opposing him is another figure, similarly clad in a black robe, hiding their face and aura as well.

Of course, although the other party thought they had hidden themselves well, Chen Ming had already identified their identity the moment they appeared nearby.

That ninth soul ring of the Blue Silver Emperor from Ah Yin—if not Tang Hao, then who else could it belong to? Within a radius of several dozen miles, even if Ah Yin didn't actively sense it, her essence would naturally resonate, allowing her to perceive Tang Hao's location and condition. As the original owner of the soul ring and Ah Yin's husband, Tang Hao also could sometimes sense Ah Yin's presence or proximity.

However, because Chen Ming had hidden himself so well, Tang Hao couldn't sense him at all. Thus, this interaction became a one-sided surveillance of Tang Hao.

Chen Ming, now cloaked in a black robe, had a figure that could not be discerned. Still, his body radiated dark green poison-attribute soul power, with an illusory shadow of a Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor coiled around his right arm. The aura he emitted was entirely that of a true king among the Jade Phosphor Serpents.

What Chen Ming had just said was completely true—except for the part where he called himself "this old man." That was somewhat deceptive. Everything else was genuine.

Chen Ming had obtained a portion of Dugu Yan's essence during their dual cultivation and refined it into his essence, incorporating it into his martial soul. Long ago, it became an inseparable part of his martial soul, even though it rarely manifested. Most of the time, it only appeared as the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's shadow when Chen Ming used certain battle techniques.

In truth, Chen Ming not only possessed the same poison, but he was also better at using it than Dugu Bo himself.

After all, he had also absorbed part of Dugu Bo's martial soul's essence, helped him refine the poison within his body, provided him with soul bones piece by piece, evolved his martial soul, and even transferred a false semi-divine core to him. In short, nearly everything about Dugu Bo's foundation either had something to do with Chen Ming or had been thoroughly understood by him.

Chen Ming had perfectly replicated Dugu Bo's aura and methods. Even if the original Dugu Bo from this world appeared in front of Chen Ming, he wouldn't be able to detect anything other than the aura of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor.

So, when Chen Ming claimed to be Dugu Bo, unless Dugu Bo himself stepped forward to refute it, even an Ultimate Douluo wouldn't be able to find the slightest flaw.

Staring at the figure in front of him, cloaked in the shadow of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor and radiating poison-attribute soul power with an aura even slightly stronger than his own, Tang Hao's expression grew serious.

"I had always thought that the way of poison was nothing more than a heretical path on the Douluo Continent—a cheap trick among lower-level soul masters. I never expected such a peerless Poison Douluo like you to emerge, with such terrifying mastery over poison arts."

"Poison Douluo—not bad."

Even though his current strength was not yet at level 95, and he was carrying injuries, not to mention his mental state was far from its peak, Tang Hao couldn't help but show a trace of pride in his gaze as he looked at Dugu Bo. Though it sounded like praise, his tone carried a sense of superiority.

The Clear Sky Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan were the two most arrogant clans in the soul master world. If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's arrogance was somewhat influenced by their martial soul, the Clear Sky Clan's arrogance was purely due to Tang Chen, the Ultimate Douluo.

If Tang Chen were still around, the Clear Sky Clan's arrogance might not be considered arrogance at all—just excessive pride. However, after Tang Chen vanished, the Clear Sky Clan showed no restraint, and their pride devolved into mindless arrogance.

Tang Hao undoubtedly exemplified this arrogance to the extreme. His conceit and hubris were almost indescribable. Tang Hao prided himself on possessing a 100,000-year soul ring, a full set of soul bones, mastery of the Clear Sky Clan's explosive ring technique, and his grandfather's creation—the Great Sumeru Hammer. Even in his current weakened state, with slightly lower soul power, he still believed he was superior to Dugu Bo, who was nothing more than a petty poisoner.

His evaluation of Dugu Bo carried not a shred of respect for a senior and even conveyed a sense that he, Tang Hao, was the true senior.

"How dare a skulking figure like you so brazenly evaluate the name of Poison Douluo?"

Chen Ming's fingers moved slightly, and the shadow of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor on his arm spat out a beam of green light toward Tang Hao.

The green light was not particularly powerful—an average Soul Douluo could likely handle it. However, that was under the condition of summoning their martial soul to confront it. Without summoning his martial soul, Tang Hao had no choice but to raise his fist and endure it head-on. He staggered back several steps before managing to deflect the attack.

But the intense poison and soul power contained within the beam left Tang Hao troubled. If not for his abundant soul power, the poison might have invaded his body.

Tang Hao didn't dare to reveal his martial soul and soul rings right now. Otherwise, he would undoubtedly attract the pursuit of the Spirit Hall.

Recently, Tang Hao had been paying attention to the situation on the continent and learned that the vile Spirit Hall had somehow employed evil soul masters to their advantage. They now had as many as ten Super Douluo and more than twenty Title Douluo, making them incredibly powerful—even stronger than the Clear Sky Clan.

Although Tang Hao prided himself on having severely injured two Title Douluo and hammering the Spirit Hall's Pope, Qian Xunji, to death twelve years ago, he still remembered the soul power of Qian Daoliu vividly.

Even though he believed that using the divine technique of the explosive ring would make him at least equal to the fraudulent Qian Daoliu, he also knew that if Qian Daoliu pursued him with three or five Super Douluo, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Therefore, Tang Hao tried to avoid exposing his martial soul and soul rings unless necessary. And if he did, he wouldn't leave any witnesses behind.

But facing a Title Douluo whose soul power was even higher than his own, Tang Hao had little confidence in defeating them unless he risked backlash by using the explosive ring technique.

Qian Daoliu bringing three or five Super Douluo to hunt him down...

If Tang Chen heard this, he would probably crack open Tang Hao's skull to see if it contained a barrel of fermented manure.

"This noon, just outside that so-called Shrek Academy, I sensed your covert surveillance. That humanoid 100,000-year soul beast must be your prey, right?"

"A 100,000-year humanoid soul beast—they are treasures of heaven and earth. Their soul bones can be absorbed by soul masters, and their soul rings can become a soul master's ninth soul ring."